[daltonlanny]

Quick update:
Received the Marantz SA8001 today, but only got to listen to it very briefly.
Won't get a full evaluation of it until Wednesday, as I will be out of town until then.
Initail impressions: Excellent sound on Redbook CD's! Has slightly higher output through the RCA outputs than the 5001. Slightly warmer and fuller than the 5001...More depth. Not a big difference, but noticeable. 5001 is slightly thinner and brighter. 8001 has alittle fuller bass. Headphone jacks sound similar. Did not get to evaluate SACD playback yet.
More to come!

 

[silverrain]

Hmmm -- I had (have?) high hopes for the SA8001 headphone-out, since Marantz does play it up somewhat.
I hope you have time to listen a little, later, to compare the hp-out, vs a hp-amp, to see if it is at least a little (reasonably decent SQ) close in SQ (for those times when you just feel like "no amp for this session".

 

[daltonlanny]

Ok,
after extensive comparisons all day long between the Marantz CD5001 and Marantz SA8001, using a HeadAmp GS-1, Sennheiser HD650/Equinox, AKG K701, and Beyerdynamic DT880 headphones, here are the results:

Bottom Line:
If you listen mainly to CD's only, get the CD5001, and save some money.
If you listen to CD's and SACD's get the SA8001.

My Findings:
I already own a Sony DVD/SACD megachanger, so SACD is not that important to me. The Marantz is slightly superior to the Sony on SACD, however.
On CD playback the 5001 offers roughly 98% of the performance of the 8001!
The main difference on CD is the output level through the RCA outs.
The 8001 definitely has a higher output level, and therefore sounds more impressive at any given volume than the 5001...that is until you match the levels!
With the levels matched, they are extremely close, and in certain aspects the CD performance of the 5001 may even be superior!

As for differences, the 8001 might have slightly more extended and powerful bass, but I am not 100% sure. The 8001 has slightly more resolution than the 5001, but not enough to be concerned about.
The sound also has just a tad more body and fullness, but again, not enough to be concerned about.
Again, in certain aspects, I actually like the sound of the 5001 slightly better.
The 8001 is slightly warmer and darker than the 5001, but, there is also a certain glare or forwardness to the sound that I have not cottoned to yet.
Because of this slight glare or forwardness I actually prefer the 5001 with the AKG K701 and Beyer DT880.
The 5001 sounds ever-so-slightly more extended on top than the 8001.
Believe it or not, but I actually find my toes tapping and getting drawn into the music more with the 5001 than the 8001 at this point!
I also prefer the 5001 for its more compact size and lighter weight. It is much easier to place and move around.
You can also scan through a song with fast forward alot quicker on the 5001, and the display on the 5001 is bigger, and brighter.
The 8001 is built like a tank, and is very immune to vibrations of any kind.
It is also quite better looking than the 5001. The SACD performance is really excellent in my opinion!
The headphone jacks are pretty similar. The jack on the 5001 is just a slight bit brighter than the one on the 8001. The output levels on both jacks is almost equal, so is the maximum output level.
They are really good at driving the Sennheisers, and will drive them quite loud and with some authority, not that great at driving the Beyers, and neither is good at driving the AKG's, IMHO.
With the Sennheisers, I prefer the 5001 jack. They are about equal on the Beyers.
Again, neither jack is that good with the AKG K701's, but atleast the one on the 8001 has a little bass when driving them! The 5001 jack pretty much sucks driving them...no bass, thin, and bright.
Now, I cannot decide which of these players I want to keep!
They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Decisions, decisions!

 

[Redo]

Excellent review! Shocking too!


Give your ears some time to adjust then report back

. Also, what Sony SACD changer do you own, and if so, could you compare the Redbook between the Sony and your Marantz?

 

[daltonlanny]

Hey Redo,
Thanks!
The Sony megachanger that I am talking about is a Sony DVP-CX777ES 400 disc dvd/sacd player.

 

[silverrain]

Great review!
Pretty much answers all the questions I had in my mind about these two players.

Bottom line: a decent headphone amp will still outperform the headphone jack on both units?

 

[headphonejunkie]

You can always do a OSE mod to the cd5001 and I bet it would exceed the 8001.I am not sure if you can do that mod after the fact though. I really want a cd5001. I have to go audition one at my neighborhood marantz dealer.

 

[daltonlanny]

Yes, i would say a decent headphone amp will still exceed the performance of either headphone jack, especially with Beyers and AKG's.
With the Sennheiser HD650's, I could actually live with the Marantz jacks and not feel that I am giving up much at all, believe it or not.
If you own 650's, the Marantz jacks are really good.
Redo,
The CD performance of both Marantz units is superior to the CD performance of my Sony DVP-CX777ES DVD/SACD megachanger.
The SACD performance of the Sony and the 8001 is close, but ultimately I feel that the Marantz is superior.
The SACD performance is brighter on the Sony, and alittle warmer, slightly more laid back, and has more body on the Marantz.

 

[Redo]

Thanks for the review. This unit is on a short list of of items for my next upgrade. It's leading the list at the moment (SA8001, Lite DAC62, or Stello DA100 is my list). I can't come to grips with going back to an external DAC though. Plus my AMP doesn't have a pre, so I couldn't get SACD playback without manually switching analog outputs.

 

[Keithpgdrb]

Daltonlanny, which player did you end up keeping? did burn in on the 8001 change it at all? I'm also in the market, and your review was quite helpful.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keithpgdrb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Daltonlanny, which player did you end up keeping? did burn in on the 8001 change it at all? I'm also in the market, and your review was quite helpful.

I believe you'll find in his more recent posts, he kept the SA8001... unless he's swapped it out since those.

His various comparisons of the SA8001 to the 840C, were the big reason I bought one. It is a huge bargain. If I were going to improve one aspect of it, I would not roll off the highs quite as much - though its nice with very harsh / aggressive music. But... its still superb, and much better than most of the competition.

 

[daltonlanny]

I sold the 8001, because of financial woes, and bought another 5001 as well as the new 5003.
The 5003 sounds closer to the 8001, than the 5001 does.
The 5003 sort of has a sort of "laid-back", darker quality to it, and is not as extended in the highs as the 5001.
The 8001 still has the edge over the 5003 when it comes to absolute resolution and a sense of space.
The 5001 is slightly livelier and slightly more extended in the highs than either the 8001 or the 5003, but is slightly "rough around the edges", and not quite as refined as the 5003 or 8001.
The bass is alittle more powerful on the 8001 and 5003, but is alittle "looser" than the bass on the 5001.

 

[Navyblue]

I've compared the CD5001, CD6002 and SA7001. IMHO each step up sounds noticeably better even with red book CD. But being Marantz they are more similar than different, they all share the same lively sound signature with emphasis on vocal or lead instrument.

 

[daltonlanny]

Update:
I am returning the Marantz CD5003 to Crutchfield and keeping the CD5001.
The 5003 is just a tad too laid-back and dark for my tastes.
Plus the headphone jack on the CD5001 seems to have higher output.
While the 5001 is alittle rougher around the edges, a little less refined, and a touch brighter than the 5003, the 5001 suits my headphones and tastes better.
It was a fun ride!

 

[Navyblue]

Interesting, I find the headphone out of the CD6002 a touch weaker than CD5001 and SA7001 too, though not to any meaningful extend. I guess they did something to it since the x001 generation.